Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has finally decided to conduct the School Youth Festival (Kalolsavam) without the fanfare and frills.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is in the US for medical treatment, has given an in-principle approval for conducting Kalolsavam, stating that students should not miss out on grace marks.

The government had cancelled all events, including Kalolsavam and International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), after massive floods caused widespread damage in the state. The government also called for donating all the funds earmarked for such celebration to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund opened in the wake of the August calamity. Any celebration either organised or sponsored (or both) by the government stands cancelled for one full year, the order stated.

The Kerala government's year-long bar on state-sponsored celebrations had upset the ministers who claimed they were not even consulted over the matter. There is also a blanket ban on tourism celebrations for a year.

After the ban caused a furore, Kerala minister EP Jayarajan had informed that he would take steps to ensure that the students don't lose out on grace marks.

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